Forget-Me-Not
by Chiblets
Summary: Sasuke is a temperamental, young business tycoon who has everything. After a hard day at the workplace, he comes home to find a strange, clueless-looking young man sitting on his doorstep. Sasuke soon learns he has no knowledge of anything at all and reluctantly takes him in, attempting to educate him.
1. Escapism

_Prologue_

The young man was running, and he didn't really understand why. His stomach was churning and his heart pounded harshly against his bandaged chest. Etched onto his boyish face was a certain expression of confusion as he trembled violently, causing him to sort of stumble clumsily during his adrenaline powered run. This strange feeling was unfamiliar to him. He did not grasp the common knowledge of what he was experiencing. Fear. It is what causes us as human beings to make rather unconscious and irrational decisions, though at the time they seem perfectly sensible. But for someone with no concept of rationality and irrationality, it produces the most wild, desperate reaction. Much like that fearful young man's actions.

He dared a glance back and he only became more afraid. People with white and pastel blue skins on them were chasing after the young man. His mind couldn't think of a reason why those odd people were doing so. He whimpered and turned his gaze back in front of him. They made loud noises at him, as though they were trying to communicate somehow. He didn't understand. He wondered why they were making such sounds at him and what they meant, if they had any meaning at all. The sounds then escalated to a much louder level and seemed to travel much closer, much to the young adult's dismay. They were close enough that he could hear their labored breathing behind him; he could almost feel it. He shuddered at this and his sapphire blue eyes lit up fearfully as he weaved sharply to the side, attempting to shake off his pursuers.

Sadly, he continued to be followed. He wasn't exactly an easy target to lose sight of with his bright blonde hair and exotic tan. Besides, how many patients try to break out of a hospital?

He journeyed aimlessly through the maze of hallways, determination to escape apparent with every large footstep he made. This labyrinth seemed to mercilessly carry on, teasing the young man. His hope started to slowly diminish, along with his eager footfalls. His situation wasn't looking so well; his chasers were catching up.

But, suddenly, he turned into a large, open room filled with all kinds of people just like him. Hurt and seemingly afraid. His eyes quickly scanned the area of the room, running over each face. Just looking them reminded him of his own pain. All at once, a burning, stabbing feeling occupied his torso and his head started pounding as though he had a terrible migraine. The young man groaned and squinted against the throbbing in his head. He couldn't let that slow him down, not at all. He burst through the glass doors roughly, his heart beating like a drum.

"Ah!" he breathed excitedly as a bright, almost blinding light greeted him outside. He turned his head up to try and look at the shining mass in the sky, but it hurt his eyes for some reason. The young man took in a sharp breath and immediately looked back at the weird sights in front of him. He knew nothing of the rush of activity in front of him, and it scared him almost as much as the strangers in the building he managed to escape. Strange machines traveled about, holding people inside them, and there were so many unfamiliar inscriptions on buildings and hanging shapes. It was strange. He was still hurting and even more confused now. What was all of this? Was this how the world was?

The blonde had no time to study the new things around him more and get an understanding of his surroundings. Voices that followed him in the hospital now threatened to follow him to the outside. The young man shook his attention away from the mass of oddities and instructed his bare feet to take him away again. To freedom, far away from all the frightening wonders...


	2. He's just an idiot

_Chapter I_

Walking home was indeed a luxury. It did not carry the awkward air of forced conversation more often than not found in a taxi. Road rage was not a dire issue, and no time was wasted in a traffic jam. It was oddly soothing in a way. Actually, if one were to really tune out the world around them, it could be considered a very peaceful experience. And this was exactly what Sasuke Uchiha did. Every afternoon, with earbuds placed firmly in his ears, he traveled the familiar path from his workplace to his secluded home just outside of Seattle.

That day, it was raining, putting a large damper on Sasuke's mood. It wasn't that he hated the rain or anything; in fact, he quite enjoyed it (which is one of the reasons he happened to make his home in Washington). But today, he was not in the mood for it. He had to take work home today, so not only did he have to carry his umbrella and keep it steady against the wind, but he also had to clutch the heavy briefcase and keep it dry while managing his mp3 player. It was a drag considering he was not a very skilled multi-tasker; he didn't know how women did it, but he wished for that talent then and was beginning to think he should have just put in overtime and finished at the workplace. He would certainly be avoiding this troublesome issue if he could have managed either of those options.

A small, but quite forceful, gust of wind suddenly swept over him, throwing his slender frame off balance. Sasuke stumbled slightly and relied on his reflexes to keep him upright. He let out an irritated huff and the already sour expression drawn onto his face intensified. He was definitely not in this mood for this damned Seattle weather. Any other day would be tolerable and he wouldn't be mentally griping about it. He could only be thankful that his home was a mere ten minutes away. Still though…ten minutes seemed like a hellish eternity. Realizing this, he picked up his pace and determinedly pushed against the wind and steady rainfall. With his new speed, he thankfully cut his travel time in half.

"Finally," Sasuke breathed softly, turning into his driveway and allowing a small, relieved smile to occupy his pale features. Such a positive twitch of the lips was an almost rare thing for him. It felt really good for him to smile. It's only a shame that his smile was short-lived.

He stopped dead in his tracks, a sight he'd rather not see at his doorstep filling his gaze. Agitation caused his dark eyebrows to twitch as he ran his eyes over what exactly was sitting before him. A young man sat there with his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped protectively around them. Sasuke figured the stranger was around his age or a bit younger, and for whatever reason that irked him. The guy's hair was a bright blonde color and a complete mess, knotted and sticking out in all different directions. A white-ish blue gown clothed him poorly, for Sasuke could unfortunately see that he was wearing nothing underneath. It didn't seem to bother him though. The young man didn't seem to have any shame, in fact. Based on this, Sasuke thought the blonde to be homeless. The plastic identity bracelet taped around the stranger's wrist changed this view though. It was clear now that this man was a patient, no doubt.

"What are you doing here?" were the first words to leave Sasuke's lips, bitterly.

The blonde raised his head slowly to look at him, blue eyes portraying a gleam of child-like innocence and confusion. He didn't respond at all, but merely stared, as if Sasuke's question went in one ear and right out the other. This succeeded in flaring his questioner's temper.

"I asked you a question," the dark-haired individual snapped and continued to receive nothing but a puzzled stare from the young man. Sasuke took a few deep breaths, counting to ten, and shoved his temper aside. Why wouldn't the guy just answer him? He furrowed his eyebrows, deep in thought, and an answer soon came to him. There was always the possibility that the young man at the doorstep was deaf. Maybe the boy just couldn't hear him. Sasuke took a breath and recalled what he learned of the American Sign Language, signing his question to the stranger. He waited a few moments but received no response. The blonde merely tilted his head slightly to the side and gazed blankly ahead, proving to Sasuke that he clearly had no idea what was being said to him, and waved his hands around in an attempt, poor as it was, to mimic the temperamental man in front of him. Sasuke paused and stared incredulously at him, thoughts of strangling the young blonde racing briefly through his mind. He couldn't be sure if this person was mocking him on purpose, or if he was just stupid. For the sake of the stranger, it was hoped that he was stupid.

The blonde blinked his sapphire eyes and raised a finger to point at Sasuke's face, letting out a small laugh. It was a cute sound, which would've been even cuter if the person in front of him were a child. It would be more fitting. Because that's how that tiny fit of laughter sounded to him, like that of an amused little boy. He waited a beat for his anger to spark, but frowned what it didn't; because he simply wanted to be enraged. Becoming angry with the moron before him would make this situation simpler. He could chase him off with no feelings of remorse, but sadly he just couldn't summon the anger to do so. He couldn't really blame himself for not becoming angry or the blonde for laughing. The look on his face was probably something to be laughed at.

Sasuke set his briefcase down beside his visitor, mildly relieved at the loss of weight, and passed a hand over his face. He was about to do something that normally he wouldn't dare think about. Sasuke Uchiha, probably one of the most paranoid individuals known in Seattle, was about to allow a _stranger_ into his home, his sanctuary. The thought of his soon to be actions unnerved him quite a bit. But he was going to be nice. At least as nice as he could possibly be, which usually wasn't very nice.

He knelt down in front of the stranger and made a move to grasp his wrist. It was then that the laughter ceased and the blonde became fearful, pulling his targeted wrist back in a jerking motion. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. What was that all about? He raised his onyx eyes to the young man's face, noting the lack of understanding implied in the look in his eyes. Sasuke drew his hand back and let out a long sigh, thinking deeply about how to go about this and not spook the young man. The blonde individual trembled slightly and averted his gaze, hugging his shaking knees once more. People seemed to frighten him, or at least physical contact did. Sasuke made a mental note of this and slowly held his hand out, as if he were trying to coax a skittish puppy out of hiding.

"You don't have to be afraid of me," he said in a soft tone, kicking himself mentally at the sound of his voice. He didn't like to sound so damn fake. "I just want to know your name."

The visitor eyed Sasuke's hand, a curious tint filling his dark blue eyes. The fear was still there, but little by little his curiosity was getting the better of him. He tentatively raised a hand and paused, as though he were having second thoughts.

"Wrist," Sasuke said while tapping his own wrist with two fingers to give this boy an idea of what he wanted.

Those sapphire orbs flitted briefly to his empty wrist before returning to Sasuke. The boy held up his bare wrist and cocked his head to the side in question. Sasuke shook his head and pointed to the boy's other wrist, which was then immediately thrust out to him. Satisfied with the progress, the raven-hair took hold of the other's hand and turned the bracelet on it around until he found what he was looking for.

"Your name's Naruto?" Sasuke's eyes flashed with amusement. "Like fishcakes?"

The young man glanced at the bracelet and allowed his eyes to scan over it for a short time. He frowned and then opened his mouth, taking in a deep breath before trying to speak, "N-Na…Na…"

"Naruto," Sasuke pointed to the young blonde, hoping to get through to the boy that this was his name. "Na-ru-to."

Naruto sighed and for a few more minutes tried to speak, but then became irritated and went silent. Sasuke introduced himself slowly, sounding out each syllable so that Naruto might have a chance of understanding, though it was doubtful. Very doubtful, and these doubts became reality as the blonde stared, eyes void of any understanding. If Sasuke had any lingering thoughts that his visitor might be pranking him or something of that close nature, they were gone now.

'_I guess he really is stupid…lucky me,'_ he thought, his inner voice turning bitter and rather sarcastic by the end of his thoughts. Sasuke rose to his feet and moved around the blonde, then fishing his keys out of his pocket and pushing the door open after swiftly unlocking it. He reached back to grasp the handle of his briefcase and made his way into Uchiha manor, sighing a brief sigh of relief before glancing over his shoulder to see if Naruto was following. Surprisingly, the blonde was still rooted on spot, glancing shyly over his shoulder as if he were silently asking permission to even move. Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, furrowing his eyebrows while he tightened the lid on his quick temper.

"Be nice, he's just an idiot…," he mumbled crossly to himself and opened his eyes to look at Naruto.

Sasuke closed his umbrella and propped it against the doorframe, his briefcase soon following it. He briskly pulled the earbuds out of his ears and shut off his music player, then wrapping the headphones around it and stuffing it into his pocket. Now for the tricky task. Getting Naruto to come inside, out of the rain, shouldn't be so difficult. It wouldn't be if he was a normal human being, but if that were the case he wouldn't be invited inside to begin with. Sasuke frowned and wondered again if perhaps his stupidity was a mere joke of sorts, a way to get into a nice place like Uchiha manor. Pushing those thoughts from his mind, Sasuke lightly tapped Naruto on the shoulder, receiving a startled squeak from him.

"Come on, it's cold out there,"

Naruto, still seated, turned to look at Sasuke full on and blinked. Obviously, he didn't comprehend the invitation, so Sasuke motioned simply for him to stand. He seemed to understand this and rose to his feet, stumbling slightly, as if keeping his balance were a chore. Sasuke thought momentarily on offering his arm out to help the blonde, and then quickly tossed the idea into the wind, finding that it wasn't worth it.

"Follow me," he grumbled though he knew that Naruto couldn't comprehend his words and stepped inside his home. He was relying solely on the hope that the blonde had some sort of intellect. He glanced back to the sight of Naruto clumsily crossing through the doorway. This simple, child-like action caused Sasuke to smirk as he closed the door and locked it tightly behind Naruto.

Naruto let his dark blue eyes wander around the large room that greeted him. Sasuke could see fear starting to creep back into the young man's simple expression. Quickly, he took hold of the arm of his visitor and began to lead the blonde upstairs, before Naruto could have some sort of panic attack and so that he might be able to fully clothe the young man. He wasn't simply going to have Naruto run about his home under clothed. That was a definite no.

A frightened whine escaped Naruto's lips and he stopped suddenly, rooting himself on spot at the first step. Sasuke ceased to move as well and arched his dark eyebrows as his gaze traveled sourly to Naruto's trembling form. He loosened his grip slightly on Naruto's arm and was taken by surprise when the blonde tore away and took off, darting frantically off to who knows where. He stood there for quite some time, dumbstruck. Had that really just happened? It certainly had, and that was just _wonderful_. Sasuke drew in a deep breath and fisted his hand on either side of his head, grinding his teeth together in frustration. His temper was revealing itself and there was no pushing it down now.

"Where the hell are you going?" Sasuke hissed and stomped angrily down the stairs. He swept his gaze sharply around his living room and saw no sign of Naruto. With an irritated spark lighting in his cold eyes, he meandered slowly around the room, checking under and behind every space he could think of as a hiding place. Naruto was nowhere to be found. This was nonsense. He didn't have time for this!

'_How the hell did he hide so well…?'_ Sasuke asked himself and moved into his kitchen, hoping for better luck in his mission. "Naruto!"

A squeak from nearby clued Sasuke in that the person he was looking for was there. He growled and moved in the direction of the noise. There was a frantic rustling sound under the kitchen sink and another quiet, scared whine. Sasuke wanted to just throw open the cabinet under the sink and drag Naruto out of hiding, but he realized that doing so would get him nowhere. So, instead of losing even more of his self-control, Sasuke knelt down in front of the closed little cabinet and softly knocked on it, waiting for a response of some kind. Slowly one of the doors creaked open a smidge, revealing a blue eye peeking out nervously. Sasuke extended a hand, palm facing upwards, and kept a neutral expression.

"I didn't mean to scare you, Naruto. Get out from under there, it's not a place for you to be," he mumbled, motioning for the other to come out.

Naruto inched open the door a bit more and fixed his stare on Sasuke's outstretched hand. It remained there for at least a good five minutes before moving to Sasuke's face. Sasuke released a small breath and held his place. Now he really did have to coax Naruto out of hiding, just like a skittish little dog. But…a dog didn't seem to fit the blonde. No, he was more of a fox, because Sasuke wouldn't allow a mangy dog into his house. And Naruto's features also reminded him of such an animal.

"Come now, you little fox. There's no sense in this,"

For a while longer, Naruto stayed hidden. Sasuke was beginning to lose patience and lowered his hand, attempting to rise to his feet. It was then that Naruto came crashing out from under the kitchen sink and barreled right into his host. Sasuke fell backwards onto the floor, wincing slightly as he bumped his head. He shook the minor pain away and glared up at the blonde who was hovering over him, a playful little glimmer shining in those blue eyes.

"You really are an idiot…" Sasuke huffed in annoyance and sat up, pushing Naruto off of him and then rubbing the back of his head, scowling. He wondered now, looking at Naruto, just what had he gotten himself into.


	3. Bath Time

_Chapter 2 _

A pile of soft, yet odd materials were thrust into his hands as Sasuke led him to a room much smaller than all the others. The floor in this room was also cold beneath his bare feet and caused him to shiver. He didn't like it much, but it must be a safe room if Sasuke brought him there. He liked Sasuke, though he was still frightened a tad by all the forceful movements Sasuke made. But his faces were funny, Naruto decided and let his gaze travel around, interested. There were many odd things in the room; things unfamiliar to him. Next to him was some sort of tall, bowl shaped thing that had three silver ornaments positioned at the back of it. The light of the room reflected brightly off the silver and entranced him. He leaned forward and tilted his head, checking out the shine from different angles. Shifting the materials into one arm, he reached out slowly and rested his hand on it tentatively, finding it to unfortunately be cold. It unnerved him so he quickly pulled back and blinked rapidly at it, wondering why it was like the floor. What was it with all of the cold stuff in this room? Did it just not like him or something? His shoulders sagged and he became slightly depressed by this thought. Why wouldn't it like him? He didn't do anything to it.

He didn't have any more time to think on this as the sound of rushing water caught his eager attention and drew it to the back of the room where an even odder item rested. It looked to him like the previous object…only bigger, and more square-like in shape. Sasuke was leaned over it, his hand under the running water. Naruto found this weird, but merely watched to see what would happen next.

"…, Naruto?"

Naruto blinked in confusion. Sasuke was obviously saying something to him, but he could not understand. It frustrated him, a lot. He wanted to understand, he really did, but the possibility seemed impossible. The realization that he might never understand saddened him. The weight of the unknown crushed him so much that he had to seat himself upon the icy floor so as to not lose the little balance he had. Everything was so very overwhelming… so terrifying. He didn't get it. Why were things so weird? And why did he not understand…? There must be some reason for all of this…but he couldn't grasp it. It was just so aggravating! He closed his eyes to block out all the unfamiliar objects from his sight. It wasn't worth keeping his eyes open. Everything he saw scared him, and he didn't want to be scared.

"Naruto,"

He kept his eyes shut tightly, frightened.

"Naruto…," the voice came this time more gently.

He let out a low whine and cracked his eyes open, holding the materials in his arms close to his body as some sort of shield. Sasuke stood over him, an emotion that Naruto didn't recognize flashing across his pale features. This scared him and he buried his face into the soft materials to block his vision. He heard Sasuke let out a breath and say something else in that same soft tone of voice as earlier, trying to lure Naruto out of his shell. He wasn't going to fall for it though. There was no way in hell he would expose his eyes to the person in front of him. The fear rising in his chest wouldn't allow such an act to be carried out. It was screaming in his ears that he should not open his eyes again, that he should merely wander in the comforting darkness he always found when his eyes were shut. Everything would certainly be simpler that way.

Sasuke meanwhile furrowed his thin eyebrows and ground his teeth in frustration. Naruto was a lot more hardheaded than Sasuke could've imagined. At this rate, it could take the rest of the afternoon to get Naruto moving, and _clean_. Naruto surely needed to be cleaned from what Sasuke could obviously tell. There were many traces of dirt and filth on Naruto's innocent face and after being out in the Seattle rain, his scent was not something to be desired. So Sasuke needed to get Naruto into the tub, no matter what.

"Naruto, you really need a bath…come on already," Sasuke groaned, reaching out and tugging lightly on Naruto's arm. The reaction he got was a frantic flail of the arms from his blonde guest.

He stepped back to give Naruto some space and frowned. An idea struck him then. Sasuke turned and exited the room, making sure to close the door behind him. If he couldn't convince Naruto to get into the bath, then maybe the blonde would do it himself. It was doubtful, but definitely worth a shot.

Sasuke sighed and decided to give it a few minutes before sneaking a glance at Naruto. He loosened his tie and pulled it off, then tossing it onto his bed and peeling off his jacket soon after, which he placed neatly beside his tie. Sasuke sat on the edge of his bed and leaned over to remove his shoes, freeing his feet from their confines. He then removed his socks and rubbed his feet, making a slightly pained expression. Those damned shoes were going to be the death of him. If only he could burn them; that'd make him happy. Shaking his head, he pushed away pleasing thoughts of burning shoes out of his mind and un-tucked his shirt, proceeding then to unbutton it.

"Ah!" he suddenly heard come from his bathroom and a small splash soon followed it. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow and stood, quietly making his way back to the bathroom to check on his guest.

He cracked open the door just enough for him to peek through it and saw that Naruto was knelt over the tub, playfully dipping a hand into the water. Sasuke sighed and couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. It was amusing to a certain extent. The sight before him stopped being funny when Sasuke realized one thing. Naruto didn't know how to bathe himself, which faced Sasuke with a huge predicament.

"Ah hell no…" Sasuke muttered under his breath and quickly closed the door. "There is no way…"

_Come on, Sasuke, he can't be that stupid…_, Sasuke thought and once more opened the bathroom door, only this time all the way. Naruto immediately turned his head at the noise and for a moment seemed frightened, but he soon became adjusted to seeing Sasuke and grinned childishly at him. _Yep, he's that stupid._

Sasuke groaned and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He really didn't want to do this. If it could be avoided, then he would definitely avoid it, but of course that wasn't the case here. It never was, unfortunately. Sasuke reluctantly shut the door behind him and couldn't keep down the heat rising to his cheeks much to his disdain. He huffed and approached Naruto, motioning for the blonde to turn around. Naruto blinked innocently at Sasuke and then did as he was told. Awkwardly, Sasuke faked a cough and started to untie the strings keeping Naruto's gown together. The moment the material hit the floor Sasuke turned his eyes to the ceiling. God, this was much too awkward. He took a deep breath and pointed to the bathtub, hoping Naruto would get the picture.

But as expected, it went right over Naruto's blonde head, causing Sasuke to thread his fingers in his hair and grind his teeth in frustration. _Ok, ok, breathe Sasuke. Just take a minute and breathe, _he thought and moved his gaze to Naruto's clueless face, keeping it there, not allowing his eyes to travel anywhere down south. He cleared his throat and took a very, very long and deep breath. This wasn't going to be something pleasant. Sasuke already knew that, but he was prepared…to some extent.

"Naruto, I need you to trust me for a moment…so don't freak out," Sasuke begged quietly and prayed that Naruto wouldn't throw a fit.

Sasuke immediately hoisted Naruto into his arms, bridal style, and braced himself for the worst. Naruto gasped in surprise at being suddenly lifted off the ground and his arms instantly locked around Sasuke's neck fearfully. The blonde whimpered, causing Sasuke to sigh in slight frustration. It was apparent already that Naruto was going to give him trouble. It was not known at this point how much trouble, but Sasuke could only hope it wouldn't be much. Sasuke leaned over the tub cautiously, regarding Naruto warily in hopes to read his emotions. Naruto's eyes met his with terror, which was exactly was Sasuke dreaded to see embedded in that sea of deep blue. Another whimper sounded from the scared young man and he kicked his legs wildly, accidentally striking Sasuke in the jaw with his knee.

"Shit! Naruto, what the hell?!" Sasuke growled and one of his hands slipped, dropping the blonde a bit and striking more fear into Naruto. The blonde squealed and clawed at Sasuke's shoulders frantically to stay away from the water below. Sasuke felt the color drain from his face when he found his balance was wavering. This was the worst possible thing that could happen. Much worse, of course, than being kneed in the jaw. The duo gasped as Sasuke stumbled and Naruto, without meaning to, pulled them both into the water.

"Ah!" Naruto screamed, pulling his dirty knees up to his chest, and looked at the water he was sitting in fearfully. He trembled in terror for a moment before he finally realized that the water wasn't so scary after all, and that was when he laughed. Naruto tentatively splashed in the bathwater while Sasuke broke through the surface, coughing and dripping wet. Sasuke clenched his jaw and fixed Naruto with an irritated stare. This was not how Sasuke wanted to spend his afternoon. In fact, he wished then that his visitor hadn't arrived on his doorstep to begin with. If only Naruto hadn't looked so pitiful, then Sasuke could've avoided this catastrophe altogether. Sasuke had always had a soft spot for pitiful things, sadly. He couldn't have turned Naruto away if he tried.

Sasuke took a moment to gather himself up and calm down so he would strangle the blonde across from him. He found none of this to be amusing as his guest did. While Naruto sat there, splashing around and laughing hysterically, Sasuke was irritably shrugging off the now soaked shirt he was wearing. He mumbled small curses he probably didn't mean as he tossed the shirt onto his bathroom floor and stood, quickly fumbling with the buckle on his belt. Sasuke really didn't want to strip down in front of this stupid, clueless idiot, but he figured that it did not really matter. Naruto was so entranced by the water that Sasuke was sure that he wouldn't really notice. So with a heavy sigh, Sasuke pulled off his belt and tossed it to the side as well, the rest of his clothes soon following. He quickly sat back in the water and let out a small breath of relief. He'd forgotten how nice it was just to sit in warm bath water. If the opportunity was in front of him, he would just relax for the next hour and enjoy the warmth he was feeling. Unfortunately though, he had to complete to task in front of him.

Sasuke turned his attention to the boy in front of him and studied the blonde as he playfully splashed in the water. A smile tried to reveal itself, but Sasuke managed to keep it away. The sight was something that any person might find cute, but Sasuke didn't want to admit to thinking that it was indeed cute. So he kept his expression neutral as he reached beside him and grasped a bottle of shampoo, then proceeding to pour a bit into the water. Naruto glanced up at him and cocked his head to the side, confusion clouding his eyes at Sasuke's actions. Sasuke raised his eyebrows at the blonde and splashed in the water with his free hand. Naruto then looked down and grinned at the sight of bubbles being formed in the water. This encouraged him to splash about even more, thus creating more bubbles.

With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke poured a little of the shampoo into his hands and leaned forward, using this moment of distraction to start washing Naruto's hair. Naruto flinched at the contact and stopped creating bubbles. He snapped his head up to look at Sasuke fearfully. For a the longest while, both men remained frozen in place; one out of fear and the other out of caution.

"I'm not trying to hurt you," Sasuke said quietly to try and reassure Naruto. "Ok?"

Naruto relaxed visibly and Sasuke was pleased to notice this. It meant that Naruto was starting to understand. This was good. This was very good.

"Good, you seem to understand me so far…," he mumbled and resumed washing Naruto's filthy hair. "If you didn't catch it earlier, then I'm Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto made a sound of acknowledgement and allowed Sasuke to continue washing his hair. The blonde turned his sight back to the bubbles and dipped a finger into them, giggling softly.

"S-Sa..," Naruto began and made a point to look back at Sasuke quickly. The raven-haired man waited for the blonde to go on. "S-Sa-Sasu…"

"You're close," Sasuke nodded in approval at Naruto's attempt to say his name and figured he should go ahead and try to teach the blonde something. "You're just missing the next syllable. Just sound it out like this: Sas-u-ke."

Naruto seemed to ponder what he was told as he splashed in the bubbly water. "S-Sasuk-ke," he tried again, this time succeeding in saying Sasuke's name.

"Correct. Good job," Sasuke praised Naruto and dipped his own hands into the water to rinse the suds off of them. "You've got quite a stutter there though. We'll have to work on that." He paused as the words left his mouth and frowned. Why did he say that? It's not like he was going to actually let the blonde stay and he most definitely wasn't going to waste any time teaching him…or was he? Sasuke bit his lip in thought and watched Naruto, unsure of what to do. It would be the right thing to take care of him, considering the blonde's state of being, but Sasuke wasn't sure that he was up to the task.

"S-S-Sasuke!" the blonde chirped and pointed right at Sasuke, grinning from ear to ear. "Sas-suke!"

"Yeah…that's right," Sasuke responded absentmindedly as he tried to take in what exactly he'd be getting into if he did indeed allow Naruto to stay with him. He would have higher bills to pay, more food to buy, an idiot to tutor. It wouldn't be very easy. He'd be like a sort of babysitter to Naruto, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Naruto on the other hand, had nothing to really worry about. At least there was nothing to worry about that his simple mind could think of. He felt proud of the new word he'd learned and was having fun playing in the water. It was only when his vision was blurred and his eyes burned that he worried. He whimpered and reached up, wiping at his eyes furiously in hopes to get rid of the awful burn.

Sasuke was pulled out of his thoughts at the pained sound Naruto made and instantly realized the problem. Sasuke had forgotten to rinse the shampoo out of Naruto's hair, and naturally a bit of it had gotten into the blonde's eyes. He felt that he could kick himself then. Sasuke wasn't doing such a wonderful job of taking care of Naruto so far.

"Calm down, Naruto," Sasuke murmured and pulled the blonde's hands away from his face. "That's going to make it worse, Dobe."

Naruto whimpered once more and gladly allowed Sasuke to rinse out his eyes. It took a moment, but the burning sensation finally passed and the blonde sighed in obvious relief that the pain was gone. He looked at Sasuke and tried his best to convey how thankful he was. Sasuke let out a breath and gave Naruto a tiny hint of a smile.

"Close your eyes, ok?"

Naruto blinked as he recognized this command and then did as he was told. He made a small sound of discomfort as water passed over his face and he got a small taste of the shampoo that was being rinsed from his head. He wrinkled up his nose in disgust and covered his face as more and more water continued to rain down on him. He sure didn't want to get another taste of that shampoo. Sasuke watched in amusement and continued to thoroughly wash all the soap from Naruto's hair. Naruto's actions reminded him of fond memories of his mother bathing him when he was younger. It managed to bring a smile to his expression, watching the blonde, and in that instant, a decision was made. Sasuke decided that he would take care of Naruto for the time being, and in the time he'd be caring for the blonde, he'd also make an attempt to educate the blonde. It wouldn't be easy, but Sasuke didn't care. He was going to do the right thing here. Nothing would sway his choice now.

"S-Sas-suke?" he heard Naruto say in a questioning tone.

"Hm?" Sasuke waited for a bit for the blonde to respond, but then remembered Naruto's lack of speech and sighed. He was curious about what Naruto could've wanted to say, but Sasuke knew he wouldn't find out, so he just shrugged it off. "You can uncover your face now, Naruto."

The blonde dropped his hands and blinked rapidly as he adjusted his eyesight. He stared at Sasuke and smiled, almost a bit sadly, as he reached forward to place his hand on Sasuke's chest, right where his heart was. Sasuke twitched slightly and tried not to just instinctively move away from the contact. The blonde continued to rest his hand upon Sasuke's bare chest and seemed to be focused on something. Sasuke wondered what could possibly be making Naruto look so serious. The expression almost looked odd on the childish blonde. Sasuke waited though, and tried to remain patient with Naruto, but his patience was wearing thin. He was also becoming uncomfortable with being touched by his guest. Naruto then pulled his hand back and placed it on his own chest, right on his own heart. It was then that Sasuke figured out what Naruto was focused on.

"That's just your heart. It's supposed to do that. Don't worry about it," Sasuke informed him and chuckled when Naruto looked relieved. "Come on now; let's condition your hair, Dobe. The water will be getting cold soon."


End file.
